Pope Francis says " Crossing the Holy Door is not a magical act – Jesus Himself says, “I am the door” that expresses the desire – to start over, to begin again every day."

ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER TO DIRECTORS AND PERSONNEL
OF THE VATICAN PUBLIC SECURITY INSPECTORATE
Consistory Hall on Thursday, 23 January 2025
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Mr. Deputy Chief of Police,
Mr. Prefect and Mr. Director,
Dear Officers and Agents, welcome!

I am pleased to meet all of you, managers and staff of the Vatican Public Security Inspectorate, at the beginning of the year, as is customary. It is an opportune moment to wish all of you and your families a serene 2025, Jubilee year, in which we are called to turn our eyes to Jesus Christ, our hope, who makes Himself a pilgrim with us and who wants to give Himself, His blessing and His forgiveness.

I invite you to take advantage of the Holy Door, opened on Christmas Eve in Saint Peter’s Basilica, as well as those opened subsequently in the other Papal Basilicas of Rome. Crossing the Holy Door is not a magical act – no, it is not, it is a symbol, a Christian symbol. Jesus Himself says, “I am the door” (Jn 10:7); it is a sign that expresses the desire to start over, and this is a beautiful wisdom – to start over, to begin again every day. Always take a step forward. The desire to renew oneself, and to let oneself be found by God. And those who perhaps do not recognize that they have the gift of faith, let them nevertheless benefit from this Jubilee year to move forward.

Dear women and dear men of the Police, I wish to thank you for all the work you do, with dedication, professionalism and generosity; which you carry out to guarantee my safety and that of my collaborators and all the pilgrims and tourists in the Vatican area, as well as on the occasion of my pastoral visits in Italy. Thank you! Thank you truly!

Yours is always a demanding task, I know, that requires readiness and courage and is mostly carried out with discretion, without being noticed, but which presupposes self-denial, attention to every detail, patience and willingness to make sacrifices. Indeed, safety is an invisible good whose importance we become aware of precisely when, for some reason, it is lacking, and which is built with the continuous and intelligent work of surveillance, night and day, every day of the year.

The human being wounded by sin renders indispensable the work of public forces placed at the service of the common good of the entire community, which have the appropriate tools to counter and stop those who are about to commit crimes and offences. You can rightly be proud of living and acting in the service of the common good - so much! - and at the same time remain humble, because this enables you to recognize your need for help, for blessing, for redemption, and to keep your heart open to God's grace.

Dear agents and dear officers, know that I think of you often and with gratitude, and that I pray for you and your families. And when on Sunday my secretaries come to bring you chocolate or something of the sort, it is a symbolic gesture, but a gesture that expresses my closeness. Thank you very much! May Our Lady accompany you and Saint Michael Archangel, your Patron, protect you. I bless you from my heart. And I ask you, please, to pray for me – for, not against!

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Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 23 January 2025